Wells Fargo Bank has entered into a settlement that provides loan modifications for residents in Washington and seven other states who obtained problematic mortgages from Wachovia Bank and Golden West Corp., which did business as World Savings Bank.

At least 400 Washington borrowers who received payment option adjustable-rate mortgages will be eligible for loan modifications that will provide more than $29 million in mortgage relief, McKenna said. This sum includes nearly $12 million

Juan Rangel, 46, Downey, California, has been indicted on a series of fraud charges for allegedly running two related fraud schemes – a Ponzi scheme that took more than $11 million from more than 300 victims, and a mortgage fraud scheme that preyed on homeowners by stealing the equity from their homes and secretly taking title to their properties.

Rangel, who is already in

Kenneth Perkins, 28, Groton, Connecticut, pleaded guilty before Chief United States District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud stemming from his participation in a mortgage fraud scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Perkins was a participant in a conspiracy to obtain residential real estate